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Strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa ) production practices followed by growers in the United States vary by region. Understanding the challenges, needs, and opportunities in each region is essential to guide research, policy, and marketing strategies for the strawberry industry across the country, and to enable the development of general and region-specific educational and production tools. This review divided the United States into eight distinct geographic regions and an indoor controlled or protected environment production system. Current production systems, markets, cultivars, trends, and future directions for each region are discussed. A common trend across all regions is the increasing use of protected culture strawberry production with both day-neutral and short-day cultivars for season extension to meet consumer demand for year-round availability. All regions experience challenges with pests and obtaining adequate harvest labor. Increasing consumer demand for berries, climate change-induced weather variability, high pesticide use, labor and immigration policies, and land availability impact regional production, thus facilitating the adoption of new technologies such as robotics and network communications to assist with strawberry harvesting in open-field production and production under controlled-environment agriculture and protected culture.

The majority of strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa ) production in Florida, USA, uses bare-root transplants that require large volumes of water via sprinkler irrigation for establishment. Although plug transplants can be established without sprinkler irrigation, they generally are more than double the cost of bare-root transplants. We hypothesized that the use of early-planted (September) plug transplants on white-on-black mulch without impact sprinkler irrigation (WP system) would be more profitable and conserve water compared with the typical grower standard practice of black plastic mulch and bare-root transplants planted in mid-October that were established using impact sprinkler irrigation for heat mitigation for 12 d after transplanting (BB system). ‘Florida Radiance’ plug transplants and bare-root transplants were used in the 2-year study that was conducted at Citra and Balm, FL, USA. Water use and early and total strawberry yield of the two systems were compared. Water use in both locations was lower with the WP system than the BB system. Early yield was higher by 683 and 346 8-lb flats/acre with the WP system at Citra and Balm, respectively, compared with the BB system. The total marketable yield with the WP system was 2062 flats/acre and 1917 flats/acre greater at Citra and Balm, respectively, than with the BB system. Partial budget analysis indicated that the WP system at Citra increased the net profit by$14,657/acre, whereas a net profit of $ 13,765/acre was obtained at Balm. These results will inform decision-making about cropping system modification that can be adopted by Florida strawberry growers to considerably reduce water use in an economically feasible manner.

This research aimed to determine salient factors affecting the decision to become a beginning organic farmer. New and beginning organic farmers have unique characteristics, showcasing their dedication to environmental justice and social justice at the expense of their own businesses. This research aimed to determine why people with no background in agriculture would start a farm when it is a high-risk and low-return business. With multigenerational farmers aging out of agriculture, we investigated the new generation and shifting demographics of people entering farming that will replace retiring farmers and feed our future. This research employed a multiple-case case study design. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 first-generation farmers who operate organic farms in Arkansas, Florida, or Georgia. We analyzed interview transcripts using the qualitative analysis approach of coding. Our results reveal two primary reasons why people with little practical knowledge start farms. First, they are inspired by those around them who succeed, and second, they are encouraged by influential characters in the field who assure them they can do something they love and be profitable. This research showed that first-generation farmers find inspiration and develop values rooted in food justice. Our findings have implications for developing and implementing current and future programmatic activities that aim to enhance beginning farmer training and workforce development. We identified sources of inspiration that will help researchers and service providers target newer and beginning farmers to support a vibrant food system, including burgeoning market opportunities, developing strong communities around food, and building grassroots solutions.

Cucurbita moschata, commonly known as winter squash, tropical squash, and calabaza, is native to Central America. This tropical squash thrives in tropical and subtropical climates, including parts of the southeastern U.S. and is very popular among people of Hispanic and West Indian heritage. Development of calabaza cultivars that meet consumer acceptability is a major goal in breeding programs. The current study aims to determine and compare the quality parameters of novel calabaza germplasm lines with that of commercially available cultivars of calabaza (La Estrella and Soler) and butternut squash (Whatman Butternut). All cultivars ranged greatly in quality parameters, with the most promising germplasms highlighted within the study including UFTP 8 and UFTP 24. The basis of this ranking was dependent on these germplasm lines’ desirable attributes, including their color saturation (chroma (>80) (using the CIELAB scale)), °Brix (11.6 and 10.7 respectively), yeast fermentable extract (>67%), and firmness/hardness, (>3600). These findings show the potential to enhance consumer preferences for calabaza through breeding and provides a basis for commercial release of the superior germplasm identified.

The strawberry seed bug, Neopamera bilobata (Say), is an emerging pest of organic and conventional strawberries in Florida. There is limited information on this Rhyparochromidae species. Thus, the type of injury caused is not clearly documented and management recommendations are lacking. In this study, we evaluated the effect of strawberry cultivars, cover crops, and the presence of runners on N. bilobata populations and yield. We also investigated the effect of select cultivars and the presence of runners on N. bilobata injury levels. In addition, we used fruit bagging experiments to investigate the effects of N. bilobata population and life stage (nymph vs. adult) on strawberry fruits. There was no effect of cover crop or cultivar on N. bilobata populations. In the 2017–2018 season, strawberry plots with runners contained higher N. bilobata populations compared with plots without runners, and adult infestation was significantly higher than nymphal infestation. In the 2018–2019 season, the trend was reversed with higher numbers of N. bilobata collected in plots with runners removed. In the 2019–2020 season, there was no significant difference in N. bilobata populations in plots with and without runners. In both 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, nymphal infestation was higher than adult infestation. Less injury was recorded in “Florida Brilliance” compared with the other cultivars tested. In the 2019–2020 season, less injury was recorded from plots without runners while the difference was not significant in 2017–2018 or 2018–2019. Releasing five and ten adult N. bilobata on ripe (red) fruit produced a similar level of injury while no injury to unripe (green) fruit was observed. Both adults and nymphs cause injury to ripe fruit. These findings can help contribute to the development of an integrated pest management program for strawberry N. bilobata.

We formed the Precision Sustainable Agriculture (PSA) team to conduct interdisciplinary research and technology development to improve adoption and practice of knowledge‐intensive sustainable agricultural practices such as cover cropping. In this paper, we share our approach to cultivating trust among diverse stakeholders (researchers, farmers, extensionists, agricultural and information specialists, private and public entities) vested in agricultural data collection, management, and use. Our trust framework describes how we aim to be trusted with data (through preserving privacy and increasing stakeholder agency) and trusted in the process (through practicing transparency and accountability). It is operationalized through a series of social and technical infrastructures. Our project governance, stakeholder engagement tools and activities, and technology development methods aim to promote transparency and accountability in our process. We use a maturity model to govern data acquisition to ensure that only robust, privacy‐preserving technologies are deployed on our partner farms and describe evolving mechanisms for handling data with varying sensitivity. Finally, we share preliminary work aimed at anticipating data use, and identify challenges on the horizon for cultivating trust in agricultural technologies and data‐driven agriculture. Core Ideas Sustainable agriculture is information intensive, requiring data sharing among many actors. Trust can be mediated through technology, but only with the input of all data stakeholders. Practicing privacy preserving strategies and increasing stakeholder agency increase trust. Transparency and accountability can aid in fostering trust in the process of data management. Cultivating trust is critical for success in data‐driven and sustainable agriculture.

The twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Koch) (Acari:Tetranychidae), is a key pest of strawberries and many other crops worldwide. Cover cropping, selecting tolerant or resistant cultivars, and biological control are important strategies of an organic management plan. In this study, we examined the effect of summer cover crops and strawberry cultivars on populations of T. urticae and a commercially available predatory mite, Neoseiulus californicus McGregor (Acari: Phytoseiidae), commonly used for T. urticae management in Florida. In the 2013–2014 season, four cover crops and eight strawberry cultivars were screened at the research station and on a commercial organic strawberry farm. The following season, the most promising cover crops (sunn hemp and hairy indigo) and cultivars, ‘Sensation', ‘Strawberry Festival', and ‘Winterstar' were tested at the research station and on two small organic farms. In the 2016–2017, 2017–2018, and 2018–2019 seasons, a 4-way mix of cover crops was compared to sunn hemp and hairy indigo. In 2016–2017, ‘Florida Radiance' was added to the three previously selected cultivars. ‘Florida Beauty' replaced ‘Strawberry Festival’ in 2017–2018 and 2018–2019, and ‘Florida Brilliance’ replaced ‘Winterstar’ in 2018–2019. The effects of summer cover crops on both T. urticae and N. californicus were minimal. ‘Florida Brilliance’, ‘Florida Radiance’, ‘Sensation’, ‘Strawberry Festival’, and ‘Winterstar’ had lower T. urticae populations and higher yields in most seasons at most locations. The establishment and abundance of N. californicus was similar on these cultivars and was generally higher where T. urticae populations were higher. Implications for organic strawberry production in Florida are discussed.

Greenhouse replacement-series experiments were conducted to evaluate the competitiveness of cowpea, sunn hemp, and velvetbean when grown in combination with yellow nutsedge and smooth pigweed. The effect of the cover crop species on yellow nutsedge tuber production was also evaluated. Cowpea and velvetbean were equally competitive with yellow nutsedge, but sunn hemp was less competitive. Although sunn hemp height was double that of cowpea or velvetbean, photosynthetically active radiation penetrating to the soil surface was twofold to eightfold greater than with the other two species. Leaf area per plant with sunn hemp monocultures were only 63 to 70% of cowpea and 37 to 41% of velvetbean. Increasing the proportion of cover crops in crop : weed mixtures did not significantly affect nutsedge tuber number per plant or tuber weight per plant. Cowpea was more competitive than smooth pigweed, whereas both sunn hemp and velvetbean were less competitive than smooth pigweed. The utility and efficacy of leguminous cover crop species for nutsedge and smooth pigweed suppression do not appear to be due to inherent competitiveness. Until cultivars that are more competitive become available, cultural measures should be employed that enhance cover crop modification of soil environmental conditions to minimize weed seed germination and vegetative propagule sprouting.

Adoption of sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) as a cover crop has been limited primarily due to the availability of seed sources, leading to high seed costs and unreliable supplies. Seed production in Florida with the commercially available sunn hemp cultivar Tropic Sun has been largely unsuccessful. An experiment was designed to evaluate 16 accessions of sunn hemp for potential commercial seed production in Florida at three planting dates (May, June, July). Vegetative and reproductive characteristics were evaluated to provide baseline information for future development of a cultivar of sunn hemp that could produce seed in Florida with desirable cover crop attributes. The results indicate that the sunn hemp accessions could be separated into two groups. Regardless of planting date, accessions in Group 1 (PI 234771, PI 248491, PI 295851, PI 337080, PI 468956, PI 561720, PI 652939) displayed desirable cover crop characteristics, such as high biomass production and leaf area. Accessions in Group 1 had a short‐day flowering response and produced few to no pods and seeds. Group 2 accessions (PI 207657, PI 250485, PI 250486, PI 250487, PI 314239, PI 322377, PI 346297, PI 391567, PI 426626) were less sensitive to photoperiod, were generally smaller plants because of earlier transition to reproductive growth, and produced more seedpods and seeds. Seed production was generally better when seeds were sown at the earliest date. It appears that in Florida, sunn hemp accessions that are capable of flowering in summer rather than fall have greater potential for seed production. Core Ideas Based on vegetative and reproductive characteristics sunn hemp accessions could be divided into two groups. Group 1 accessions produce more shoot biomass and have a short‐day flowering response. Flowering occurs in fall when effective pollinators are absent. Group 2 accessions are less sensitive to photoperiod. Group 2 accessions flower in summer when effective pollinators occur and successfully set seed.

Twelve winter cover crops were planted in Citra and Live Oak, FL, in 2004, to evaluate their potential for use as living mulches in organic vegetable production: black oat, rye, annual ryegrass, hard fescue, two cultivars of white clover, berseem clover, crimson clover, subterranean clover, arrowleaf clover, barrel medic, and a hybrid disc × strand medic cultivar. The best canopy development and weed suppression occurred with black oat, rye, and annual ryegrass. In 2005, black oat, two rye cultivars, and annual ryegrass were evaluated as living mulches in broccoli at Citra and Live Oak, using organic production methods. ‘Florida 401’ (FL 401) rye was tallest, black oat was intermediate, and ‘Wrens Abruzzi’ (WA) rye and ‘Gulf’ ryegrass were of similar height and were the shortest living mulches. Biomass harvested at 12 and 13 wk after planting at Citra and Live Oak, respectively, was greatest with FL 401 rye. At Live Oak, the three other mulches had similar amounts of biomass; however, at Citra, black oat biomass was greater than that of WA rye, and biomass of ryegrass was lowest. The greatest weed infestation occurred with the weedy control. Weed biomass was highest with the weedy control, intermediate with ryegrass, and lowest with rye and black oat. However, the biomass of the weedy control was lower than that of the living mulches plus any associated weeds. Marketable broccoli yield was highest with the weed-free control. Yields with black oat, WA rye, and ryegrass were similar to that of the weedy control, whereas yield with the FL 401 rye was lower than with the weedy control. Suppression of living mulches by mowing at 3 and 7 wk after planting had no effect on broccoli growth or yield. Nomenclature: Annual ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum Lam.; arrowleaf clover, Trifolium vesiculosum Savi, barrel medic, Medicago truncatula Gaertn., berseem clover Trifolium alexandrinum L., black oat, Avena strigosa Shreb., broccoli, Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck., cereal rye, Secale cereale L., crimson clover Trifolium incarnatum L., disc × strand medic hybrid, Medicago tornata (L.) Mill. × Medicago littoralis Rohde ex Loisel., hard fescue, Festuca longifolia Thuill., subterranean clover, Trifolium subterraneum L., white clover, Trifolium repens L